Bill told us that if we wanted to catch the changing of guards ceremony, we'd best hurry. He said the ceremony would be at 11am at the Presidential Mansion and at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A bit of walking for us still to get there. I was very exicted and trailed behind Bill as fast as I could.
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| Guards leaving their barracks for the Presidential Mansion |
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| As the new guards arrive the old ones get ready to leave their post |
The ceremony marks the end of the hourly shift of the guards or Evzones as they are called and the beginning of the other. These guards are carefully selected for the honor of participating, and most of them are very tall, averaging over 6'3". We were told that the Evzones are the keepers of the Greek flag.
What was very unique about these guards were their uniforms. They wore
kilts and shoes with pom-poms on them representing ancient Minoan times. Bill told us that the uniform has a historical meaning. It also refers
to the uniform of the Kleftes and Armatoloi, two groups of Greek
warriors during the War of Independence i(1821) against the Ottomans.
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| Very precise movements |
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| Getting ready to leave |
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| Ceremony done and done with very much precision and synchronization. |
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